‘Her schooling was done in Mumbai’: Family in Jaunpur recall death of crew member Pinki Mali in Baramati charter plane crash

JAUNPUR (Uttar Pradesh): Family members of Pinki Mali, a crew member who lost her life in the tragic charter plane crash in Baramati, recalled the heartbreaking moment when they were informed about her death.

Pinki Mali’s grandmother said the family received the devastating news around 9.30 am on Wednesday. She said the shock was overwhelming for the family, especially Pinki’s parents, who broke down upon learning that their daughter was no more.

“I got to know about the incident around 9.30 am that she had died in a plane crash. I spoke with Pinki’s parents, they were crying and told us that she is no more now…” the grandmother said, struggling to hold back her emotions.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Mortal remains of Pinki Mali, who was a member of the crew on the ill-fated charter plane, brought to her residence in Mumbai.

All five people onboard, including Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, died in the accident. pic.twitter.com/HmHqdkJkLJ

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2026

Recalling the moment he learned about Pinki’s death, her uncle Chandrabhushan Mali said the news reached the family slightly later in the morning. He shared that Pinki had visited Jaunpur just two months ago and spoke fondly of her life and career.

“We got to know about this incident around 10.30 am. I called my brother, but he did not answer. Pinki came here two months ago. Her schooling and everything were done in Mumbai…”, Chandrabhushan told reporters, adding that the family is still trying to come to terms with the sudden loss.

Vidip Dilip Jadhav, one of the other victims, was the personal security officer (PSO) of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was also on board the ill-fated chartered aircraft that crash-landed in Baramati.

Earlier, Ajit Pawar, 66, died on Wednesday morning after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The plane crash-landed near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board. Among the deceased were Pawar, his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots.

The crash occurred at 8.48 am on Wednesday, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau dispatched probe teams to the site to investigate the cause of the accident. Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.

Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively. He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as deputy chief minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar. (ANI)